Kiss Me
by Ninazadzia
Summary: Because her heart's against my chest, her lips pressed to my neck. And all I can wonder is how the hell this happened. Peeta/Katniss, high school AU. Sweet Nothing and Shake it Out spin-off. Inspired by Ed Sheeran's "Kiss Me."
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:**** Some background info: this fic is a spin-off from the **_**Sweet Nothing **_**and **_**Shake it Out **_**world. It's set the summer before and during Peeta and Katniss's sophomore year of high school. The 'present' date (January 21****st****, 2012) is their winter semi-formal, and written in between scenes of that night are flashbacks of how their relationship evolved. If you've ever seen **_**For the Love of the Game **_**this is written in that kinda style. I hope you enjoy! xx**

_Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in_

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

**Kiss Me **by Ed Sheeran

XXX

_January 21__st__, 2012—_

_Prim must've helped her buy that dress _was my first thought.

I knew Katniss Everdeen, and I'd known her since we were in Pre-K. She didn't do dresses, or skirts, or anything like that. You could always see Prim's or her mother's style shine through whenever we had to get dressed up for school events, and Katniss would always tug at the hem of whatever she was wearing uncomfortably. Nahh, she definitely preferred sweaters and running pants to dresses.

The dress was gold, and it hung below her knees. But it wasn't the most modest thing since it hugged every curve of her body.

I had to gulp back the lump in my throat.

It took her seconds to cross her front yard, running to get out of the cold. Snow was still on the ground from last week's storm. I turned the heat up and she stumbled in, shivering in the passenger seat.

"Hey," I said. "You look nice."

"I didn't know you were seventeen."

I laughed. "I'm not. Don't worry, I won't get you killed, I'm a good driver."

"But you don't have your license."

I cocked a brow. "Would you rather be in a car with me and my mom, or just me?"

She nodded. "Right. Gotchya." She buckled up. "But if you go all _Fast and Furious _on me—"

"I won't."

"You better not."

"Hey, my goal for tonight isn't to get you killed." I put the car in drive. "This might sound crazy, but I'm hoping we'll have some fun."

She shrugged. "Yeah, well . . ." was all she said to that.

I kept stealing glances at her as we drove to the formal. I felt like swearing under my breath.

Hopefully, no one else would notice how beautiful she looked.

XXX

_July 3__rd__, 2011_

"Where the hell are you?"

"Hey, I'm sorry, I just had to make sure Madge got home okay—"

"Do you have any idea what time it is?"

I groaned. "I know, I know. I'm sorry, Rye, I'll be back soon."

"You better." I could hear rustling from the other end. "If mom finds out you took the car, we're both _dead."_

"I _know, _Rye."

"Get your sorry ass back here."

I sighed. "I'm turning on Addison right now, I'll be there in a—"

My headlights landed on a figure in the street. Katniss Everdeen was lying face down in the curb.

"Oh my god!" I slammed my foot on the brakes, my phone flying out of my lap and across the front of Rye's car. I could hear my brother from the other end, but I ignored him, unable to do anything except stare at the road.

"Peeta? Peeta? What the fuck's going on?"

"Rye—"

"Shit, if you totaled my car—"

"Calm down, your car's fine," I snapped. I jumped out of the front seat, running up to the curb. Even when I slammed the door shut, I could still hear Rye screaming from the phone.

I leaned down, turning Katniss onto her side. She moaned and her eyes fluttered open, just enough for her to recognize my face before putting her head back down onto the street.

"Damnit," she grumbled.

"Are you okay?" I asked. I sat her up. "What happened?"

She opened her mouth to say something. I was answered with her turning onto her side and retching.

_The smell. _It was the same reason I'd left Gale's party; there were too many drunk teenagers ready to vomit themselves empty. There wasn't any mistaking the alcohol on Katniss' breath.

"Hey, hey," I murmured, holding back her hair as she retched into the street. The sounds of it echoed well into the night. I tried to talk her through it as she did—"Just let it out, it's okay"—and a few minutes later she finally turned to me, wiping her mouth.

"Oh god. I'm a wreck."

"No you're not, it's okay. I've gotchya." I reached into my back pocket, pulling out a pack of gum and handing her a stick. As she feebly chewed on it, she started to cry.

The vomit. The crying. Lying facedown in a street. Something was definitely wrong, because this wasn't Katniss Everdeen.

"What happened?" I asked as gently as possible.

Her breath hitched. She held her head. "Oh my god," she said, her voice hoarse. "Prim."

"Here, let me drive you home—"

"No," she shook her head, "I can't go home, not like this. My sister . . ."

She trailed off, her thought process lost to the alcohol.

I nodded. "Okay," I said. "Here, let me help you up."

She obliged, throwing her arms around me. We tried walking for a few steps before I gave up and just scooped her up, carrying her to the passenger seat.

Yeah, she was really far gone.

I climbed into the other side, handing her an old baseball cap of mine. "If you need to throw up—"

She shook her head. "Uh-uh."

"Well, just in case—"

"Peeta, drive," she mumbled.

I opened my mouth, ready to repeat the question. _What's wrong? _But her face was turned away from me, and I decided to let it go. She clearly didn't want to talk—and _that_ was the Katniss Everdeen I was used to.

XXX

**A/N: Yee-haw! Cato and Clove, I love you both—but it's so nice to take a break from you for once.**

**Kind of a minute detail, but Katniss is 15 the entire time and Peeta turns 16 about halfway through this fic. So they're always driving illegally (damn New Jersey driving laws.)**

**Aaaaanyway, I really really really hope you guys enjoyed! The next chapter of SIO will be up either today or tomorrow :D**

**Leave a review and I'll love you forever xx**

**Nina**


	2. Chapter 2

_Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in_

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

**Kiss Me **by Ed Sheeran

_July 3__rd__, 2011—_

"What the _fuck, _Peeta—"

I tossed Rye the keys, stumbling through the door as quietly as I could. Not that that was possible, since I was carrying a teenage girl.

"Your car's parked outside, thanks for letting me borrow it." I dropped Katniss onto the couch—the ride over had lulled her to sleep, but she'd been coming and going since.

I turned to my brother. Oh, was he boiling.

"Who the fuck is this?"

"She's in my grade, I found her lying in the curb—"

"Did you hit her?"

"No!" I snapped. "She's wasted, I couldn't take her home like this—"

"So you think it's okay to let her crash at our place?" He walked across the room and got in my face, gritting his teeth. "Do you have _any _idea how dead we both are if mom finds out?"

"She's not going to find out, I'll drive her home in a few hours when she's sobered up a bit."

Almost as if on cue, Katniss mumbled something incoherent. I turned to Rye, who sighed before wagging a finger in her direction and saying, "She's your problem, not mine." And then he stalked back upstairs.

I was left alone in the living room with no one else but a passed out, intoxicated girl. A girl I'd known my entire life, at that. I ran a hand through my hair, begging my heart to _stop racing. _As if on autopilot, I made a beeline for the kitchen, pouring her a glass of water and myself some coffee. I had a long night ahead of me, even though the only thing I wanted to do was crash.

"Hey, Katniss," I whispered. I gently shook her. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked to the glass, wordlessly taking it and downing every sip. The sounds of her slurping reverberated through the room.

She finished it, and handed it back to me. "Thanks," she muttered.

"You feeling any better?" She didn't have anything but a lost expression in response. "You let me know when you think you're ready to go home, okay?"

She nodded, sighing heavily before flopping herself back on the couch. "This is so embarrassing," she grumbled.

I shook my head. "It's just me, don't be embarrassed—"

"No, it is. I'm such an idiot—my life's going to _shit."_ She held her head in her hands. In between her slurred words and how her eyes were pointed to the ceiling, I could tell. She wasn't talking to anyone but herself. "My dad's dying, and what do I do? I get blackout _drunk_. Such a fucking great way to handle things, right?" And then she turned to me. "What's my sister supposed to think?"

I tried snapping myself out of surprise by putting my hand on her arm. In the most even voice I could manage, I asked, "Did you just find out?"

She nodded, clutching her stomach.

"People drink too much all the time, Katniss, it happens to everyone. At least you have a reason. And your sister doesn't have to know. I'll take you home when you're a little more sober, and you can forget this night ever happened."

"Okay," she croaked.

"And, Katniss?"

She looked up to me.

"I'm really sorry about your dad."

"Thanks," she managed, before falling back asleep.

XXX

**A/N: 7 reviews for the first chapter = absofuckinglutely fantastic. You guys are the best, I appreciate it a ton.**

**Thanks for reading! Putting myself on a Tuesday/Saturday schedule for this fic. Check back then for the next update, mi amours.**

**Tease for Saturday? First day of sophomore year :D**

**xx Nina**


	3. Chapter 3

_Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in_

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

**Kiss Me **by Ed Sheeran

XXX

_January 21__st__, 2012—_

"Is it a right from here?" She asked.

"Yeah, I think so."

"You _think _so?"

I glanced over to her, slowing down the car. "Well, I dunno. My mom's always the one behind the wheel." I looked to the intersection in front of me, and after a second it clicked into place. "Yeah, it's a right," I said. I turned the wheel, and the street sign caught my eye.

"Addison," I muttered. I didn't realize I'd said it aloud until Katniss' expression went from confused to, well, blushing.

"Is this where—"

"Yep. Pretty sure."

"Oh," she replied.

She fiddled with the hem of her dress, not saying anything for a minute.

"Peeta—"

"You don't have to say anything."

"I've never really thanked you."

We pulled to a red light. I turned to her.

Six months ago, Mr. Everdeen was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He died just before our sophomore year.

"You're welcome," I said.

XXX

_September 1__st__, 2011—_

"So nice of you to join us—you must be Mr. Mellark."

"Sorry I'm late," I panted, handing Ms. Donner a pass. "There was milk shortage in my house, it was a serious problem."

That got a few snickers out of my classmates, and my chemistry teacher cracked a smile. "Since it's the first day of school, I'll let you charm your way out of trouble this time. But no more milk shortages, alright?"

"Right. I promise."

She nodded, turning to a sheet of paper and looking up to me. "You can take the seat right next to your lab partner Ms. Everdeen, Peeta."

I momentarily froze before remembering everyone in the room had their eyes on me. _Play it cool, Peeta. _"Sounds good," I said, my voice surprisingly smooth.

I crossed the room, and for the briefest of seconds, I found those eyes on me. Those gray, hooded eyes that I'd known for close to twelve years. Except the last time I'd seen them, they were bloodshot and clouded over.

And then she looked down, rearranging whatever was on her desk.

It was a bit of a shame, really. I had a really nice smile on for her.

As I took my seat, the movement was visible. She _moved—_an actual, pretty obvious movement—away from me. Maybe she'd meant for it to be discreet, or maybe she didn't care if I saw. But in between that and how tightly she was clutching her pen, it didn't take too much for me to figure out what my lab partner thought of our seating arrangement.

She was sitting all of four feet away from me. Hopefully, she couldn't hear how much my heart was hammering.

XXX

**A/N: Jesus. Didn't realize till now that this was the same plot device Stephenie Meyer used in Twilight. Don't worry, Kat and Peeta ain't no Bella and Edward in this fic :D**

**Hope you guys enjoyed! Thanks for all of the feedback, leave a review and I'll love you forever xx**

**Nina**


	4. Chapter 4

_Settle down with me  
Cover me up  
Cuddle me in_

Lie down with me  
And hold me in your arms

And your heart's against my chest, your lips pressed to my neck  
I'm falling for your eyes, but they don't know me yet  
And with a feeling I'll forget, I'm in love now

**Kiss Me **by Ed Sheeran

XXX

_September 14__th__, 2011—_

"Hey, what density did you get for tin?"

At most, I could've expected her to be reluctant to look at me. Instead she kept her eyes trained on her paper. "Nine point eight-two," she muttered.

"Really? I got nine point seven."

"There isn't much of a difference, Peeta."

I shrugged. "Okay, I'll go with nine point eight two. You're better than this stuff than I am."

The point of her pencil snapped. She furiously rummaged around her bag, looking for another one.

_No good deed goes unpunished, eh Peeta?_

I let out a sigh, barely loud enough to hear myself. Everyone else in the room was talking, calculating measurements with their lab partner. I eyed Finch Emerson across the room, who was chatting idly with Marvel Quaid. She met my gaze, then looked to Katniss, and back at me.

_She isn't having any of it, _is the look I gave her.

It looked like she stifled a little bit of laughter before rolling her eyes and going back to her lab.

Unlike everyone else in the room, weekly labs weren't a collaborative effort at our table. It always went the same: Katniss took measurements, I'd glance at her sheet, realize my numbers were completely different, ask her about them, and just about get my head bitten off.

The bell rung, and I fell into stride with Finch in the hallway. Katniss practically slammed into lockers to get around me, running off to class.

"Is she always this hard to please?" I asked Finch.

"Oh, she hasn't been the same since her dad died." She stopped, putting in her locker combination and stowing her textbook. "You should see her at practice—her and Clove Fuhrman won't stop bitching at each other."

"Did they get along before?"

She snorted. "Pfft. No. But at least they stayed out of each others' way." She slammed her locker shut, putting her hand on my shoulder and patting it gently. "You get an E for effort, Peeta. But you really shouldn't try so hard."

"Well, what can I say? She's a nice girl from what I remember, I was kind of hoping we could be friends."

"She's a nice girl who lost her father, back off a little." She looked at me thoughtfully. "But she _does _seem to have a specific dislike just for you."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean she's a tough nut to crack, but not that tough." She poked me, teasingly. "I guess in between the charming comments and open friendliness, you must've fucked up somewhere along the way."

_Nahh. It was more like that one time I babysat her when she was blackout drunk._

I shrugged. "Well. Guilty as charged."

XXX

**A/N: Finch is Foxface, in case there was any speculation.**

**Thanks a ton for the feedback so far, guys. I appreciate it so much I can't even tell you. School's been a lot to handle lately (overachieving wheeee!) so sorry for those of you that are waiting on **_**Shake it Out. **_**I'm becoming a perfectionist with that fic, and since those are the last two chapters, I don't want to rush them or anything.**

**Every chapter of Kiss Me that's been posted so far was prewritten, so yayayyayayay vacation!**

**Here's your friendly reminder to review :P You'll get a cyber!cookie!**

**xx Nina**


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